Improvement in pocket-book fastenings



Y being of proper width to enter the narrow part UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

JAMES C. ARMS, OF NoltT-vHAMPToN, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN POCKET-'BOOK FASTENINGS.

Spectfcatzonforming part of Letters Patent No. 82,57 7 dated September`29, 1868.

4To all 'whom it may concern Be it known that I, J. C. ARMS, ofNorthampton, in the county of Hampshire and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Pocket -Book Fastenings;and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanyiug drawings,making part of this specication, and to the letters of reference markedthereon, like letters indicating like parts wherever they occur.

To enable others skilled in the art to construct and use my invention, Iwill proceed to describe it.

My invention consists in a novel construe` tion of a clasp forpocket-books and similar articles, as hereinafter more fully explained.

Figure 1 is a front view of a pocket-book with my improved clasp appliedthereto. Figs. 2, 3, and 4 are views of the parts in detail; and Figs.5, 6, 7, and 8 are views of' the same device, slightly moditied.

To construct my improved clasp, I take a dat piece of sheet metal, C,and cut it out in a die, with points n at the corners, which are bent upto form clips, by which it is secured to the pocket book, and with aseriesl of oblong holes, e, as represented in Figs. l and 3. I then inva similar manner forni a slide, D, with T-s'haped holes, as shown inFig. 4, this slide being of proper width to slip under the plate C. Ialso form a clip, B, with a lip, a, standing at right angles to thebody, this lip c being of proper size to tit into the holes'e and o, andbeing formed like an inverted T, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the neck ofthis lip of the hole o in the slide D, the clip B being secured to theflap of the. pocketbook A by points fn, or byrivets, as represented inFig. 1. The parts being thus constructed and attached, as represented inFig. 1, the slide D is drawn back, and the lip et` is inserted in one lofthe holes e, and also through the hole o, in the slide D, underneath.The slideD is then shoved forward, the shoulders on each side of thenarrow part of the opening looking over the shoulders on the lip a, andthus lock the latter securely in place. To release the clip, it is onlynecessary to draw back the slide D,

which has a lip, b, at its end for that purpose.

If preferred, the under plate may be formed as represented byE, Fig. 8,aud the upper plate F made to slide thereon, the latter being secured tothe former by lips t. bent around under its edges, as represented inFig. 5.v In this case the lip clon the clip B is formed with a hole, l,in it, as shown in Fig. 6. When the plates E and F are attached, andtheirv openings made to coincide, the lip a is inserted and the plate Fis drawn back, which causes the tonguet'of plate E to enter the hole lin the lip a, and thus lock itin place. To release the lip, it is onlynecessary to shove the slide F forward, when it can be withdrawn.

It is obvious -that the plates Eand F may be attached, either endforemost, the only difference being that the slide will be moved in theopposite direction.

It is also obvious that the platey F may be permanently' attached andthe plate E made to slide, the result being'the same 'in either case.

By these means I am enabled to produce a simple, cheap, and ecientdevice, well adapted to the purpose intended.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- The clasp orfastening, consisting of the plate C, slide D, and clip B, or theirequivalents, constructed and arranged to operate substantially asV andfor the purpose herein described.

JAMES C. ARMS. Witnesses:

HENRY B. HAVEN,

E. PARSONS.

